Dover Middle school grandparent files complaint that student's ed plan not being followed

Tuesday

Apr 27, 2010 at 3:15 AMApr 27, 2010 at 5:25 AM

By LESLIE MODICA lmodica@fosters.com

DOVER — The guardian of a Dover Middle School student has filed a complaint with the State Department of Education after she said the school has chronically failed to provide the services laid out in the student's education plan.

Holly Ferguson filed the formal complaint in March and said her grandson, of whom she has guardianship, had not been consistently receiving any of the four categories of direct instruction mandated in the student's Individualized Education Program (IEP) since he began at the school in August.

According to a copy of the complaint, which was provided by Ferguson, she is claiming that Dover Middle School has failed to provide direct instruction by a special-education teacher in reading, writing, math and speech pathology.

Although some level of service had been provided in some of those areas, Ferguson said it often did not meet the standard required in her grandson's IEP. For example, she said the student was receiving math instruction from a paraprofessional and not a special-education teacher and was learning in a group of other special education children, many of whom had disabilities that were more severe.

Since the complaint was filed, Ferguson said the school has begun giving adequate services for speech pathology and math, however she claims her grandson's IEP is still not being followed for reading and writing.

Sandra Crosson, the district's special education director, has declined to comment on the specifics of the allegations.

"We are working with the parent (Ferguson) to resolve any concerns," Crosson said. "Other than that I don't have any more comment about the student or his situation."

Ferguson said, though, that she is tired of waiting for the situation to be resolved, and at this point she feels her grandson has lost an entire year of education in the process.